Our first ever live-podcast happened during the Harvest Gathering 2016 at Earthwork Farm in Lake City, Michigan. A three day celebration of music and community, the Harvest Gathering is like nothing else. Earthwork is home of the Bernard family farm as well as the Earthwork Music Collective. My first guest on Friday was May Erlewine Bernard. She is a remarkable musician and sweetheart to boot. We met in “Maddie’s Circle”, which hosted workshops throughout the weekend. It was a tranquil scene on log benches with warm conversation and kind souls.
The Details:
The Drinks: Incorrigible White Sour Ale
The Music:
“Wealthy Street” © and courtesy of Drew Nelson for Podcast intro and outro, May performs, Wild, and Sweet Days © and courtesy of May Erlewine
Guest Bio
May Erlewine comes from a family of artists and musicians. Early on she was exposed to music (and people) of all kinds. May was home-educated, came up singing and while still just a teenager hitchhiked all across North America playing in small and large towns, riding freight trains, and busking on the streets. In her travels May Erlewine came to know the land and the pulse of the people. Her songs show a very real connection and concern with everyday folk.
May plays guitar, fiddle, piano and a few other instruments, but mostly she sings. Her songs are treasured by people of all faiths and politics. May has played music not only all across America but also for people all over the world. What is perhaps most remarkable is May's songwriting ability. Although she is a wonderful singer and her voice is instantly recognizable, it is the songs that she writes that are really turning heads. May's songs are sung (and recorded) by other artists, both great and small. The sounds and influences you'll hear in her music range from good old fashioned folk and country swing to soul singers, rock and music from all over the wide world. It's all bundled together with stories and melodies to take you on a journey of the heart. May is a member of the Earthwork Music Collective, a group of independent artists who share resources and talents to raise both community and self-awareness, along with facilitating and encouraging original music in the state of Michigan. Earthwork was founded by May's husband and musical partner, Samuel Seth Bernard, a prolific singer-songwriter in his own right, as a means to form a viable alternative path to the conventional music industry. Through collaboration, the collective strives to incorporate efforts of environmental advocacy, social justice, creative empowerment and community building into the core functioning of a musical profession.